Browser on test equipment

ABSTRACT

A portable telecommunication test set with a web browser incorporated therein is provided. A standard Hyper Text Mark-up Language or Wireless Application Protocol browser may be incorporated within the portable test set, allowing a network technician to access the Internet as well as other remotely-located sources of information to retrieve data and other useful technical information while in the field for communication network or telephone line maintenance, troubleshooting or repair. The test set may contain memory to locally store certain technical information that may be retrieved and “read” by the built-in browser module when prompted by the network technician. The web browser may display the content of the requested information on a display provided on the test set. Line-specific (as well as manufacturer-specific) test information need not be in a manufacturer-dictated proprietary format. Testing-related data may thus be supplied by a vendor other than the manufacturer of the test set.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/442,754, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,145,447, entitled “Browser onTest Equipment,” filed May 30, 2006, which is a continuation of U.S.Pat. No. 7,092,947, entitled “Browser on Test Equipment,” filed Dec. 30,2002, which is a continuation of U.S. Pat. No. 6,539,384, entitled“Browser on Test Equipment,” filed Jun. 2, 2000, each of which is hereinincorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention broadly relates to test instruments, and moreparticularly, to a portable telecommunication test set with a built-inweb browser.

2. Description of Related Art

Telephone communication has seen a phenomenal growth since its inceptionbecause of its extreme usefulness in today's world. It is hard, andalmost impossible, to conceive of a world without telephones. Manypeople would say that telephones have become an integral part of acivilized society. Telephone communications typically take place overthe traditional pair of copper conductors which form telephone lines.However, a number of different “non-traditional” transmission media,such as fiber optic cables, microwave links (in satellitecommunication), terrestrial radio links (in wireless communication),etc, are increasingly being employed to accommodate burgeoning telephonetraffic world-wide. In any event, traditional telephone lines of a PSTN(Public Switched Telephone Network) or a POTS (Plain Old TelephoneSystem) still play major roles as primary telephone transmission mediafor a large number of telephone calls. Further, a significant number oftelephone calls placed over so-called “non-traditional” transmissionmedia still end up utilizing these telephone lines as secondarytransmission media for call completion. Modem computers with datatransmission capabilities also frequently use the telephone linessupported by the PSTN (or POTS) for data communication with remotedestinations.

A telephone subscriber's telephone line typically terminates at a localswitching facility or local office in the telephone service provider'snetwork. Two or more local offices may be connected to a centralswitching facility via additional telephone lines to allow interofficetelephone communication. A telephone “subscriber's loop” may normallyconsist of the subscriber's telephone unit, the telephone line betweenthe subscriber's unit and the local office and a circuit at the localswitching facility to supply battery current (to the subscriber'stelephone unit), signaling current (over the telephone line) and a meansof connecting the subscriber's telephone line to a switching unit withinthe local switching facility. To facilitate a two-way telephonecommunication over the subscriber's loop, it is necessary to maintaineach subscriber's telephone line as well as other circuit elementsfault-free.

Maintenance, monitoring and troubleshooting of a telephone line isperformed by a lineman or network technician employed by the telephoneservice provider. The technician may carry a hand-held butt set or testset 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 to test the telephone line for properringing signals, dial tone reception, noise level, etc. The butt set 10is normally attached to the telephone line being tested with a pair ofalligator or bed-of-nails clips (not shown) provided as part of the buttset 10 and extending from a housing 12. The housing 12 has a keypad 14with buttons quite similar to those on a telephone unit to enable thetechnician to dial a telephone number or to enter specific digits, e.g.,to check whether the telephone line carries dialed signals or to place aphone call. The housing 12 may have a built in speaker unit (not shown)that may be activated with the SPK button on the keypad 14 so that thetechnician may listen to various tones, noise and other signals over thetelephone line hands-free. The LNR button on the keypad 14 allows for a“Last Number Redial” function. The DAT button on the keypad 14 may bepressed to override data lockout capability, which refers to acapability of the test set 10 to alert the technician when there is adanger of inadvertently disrupting data flowing over the telephone line,such as when the test set 10 is attached to the telephone line and thetechnician attempts to switch the line from data mode to talk mode.

Upon finding a faulty telephone line, the technician may need to referto additional information, e.g., cable records pertaining to a giventelephone line or any line-specific circuit details. One disadvantagewith the prior art butt set 10 is that the technician may not retrievethe requisite data from the butt set 10 while in the field. If thetechnician wants the desired information while in the field, thetechnician may need to contact either another technician who isknowledgeable about the given line configuration or the technician'shome office where someone can find the needed information. When atechnician is dependent on others for information retrieval, there willtypically be a greater delay in obtaining the needed information. Such adelay may affect performance efficiency and project execution timing fora given maintenance or troubleshooting project and may not be desirable,especially when labor costs need to be contained.

It is therefore desirable to have a multi-functional, hand-held butt setor a similar portable telecommunication test set that is capable ofstoring telephone line-specific data and circuit information so as toenable a technician to obtain requisite information while in the field.It is further desirable that the test set or the butt set be capable ofaccessing a remote information server from the field location ifadditional information is desired by the technician.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention contemplates a portable telecommunication test setcomprising a housing having located therein a processing unit; a testingmodule coupled to said processing unit, wherein the testing module isconfigured to receive a first indication from the processing unit and toresponsively initiate one or more test operations for atelecommunication entity; and a web browser module coupled to saidprocessing unit, wherein the web browser module is configured to receivea second indication from the processing unit and to responsivelyinitiate data communication between said web browser module and a sourceof information located external to the portable telecommunication testset. The portable telecommunication test set may include a telephoneline butt set, a protocol analyzer, a communications analyzer, etc.

In addition to routine telecommunication test circuits and/or circuitsfor telephone functionality, the test set of the present invention,e.g., a butt set, may incorporate a standard HTML (Hyper Text Mark-upLanguage) or WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) browser within it. Theinclusion of a web browser within a telecommunication test set allows anetwork technician to access the Internet as well as otherremotely-located sources of information to retrieve data and otheruseful technical information while in the field for communicationnetwork or telephone line maintenance, troubleshooting or repair. Theremotely-located source of information may be a computer server or othertest equipment similar to the test set according to the presentinvention. The portable test set, e.g., the butt set, may contain memoryto locally store certain technical information, e.g., telephoneline-specific data or circuit information, that may be retrieved and“read” by the built-in web browser module when prompted by the networktechnician.

The portable test set may be provided with a display screen on thehousing for the test set to display the content of the informationretrieved from a remotely-located source of information. The web browsermodule may convert the received information into a user-understandableformat prior to its display on the display screen. A keyboard or keypadmay also be provided on the housing to allow the network technician toenter one or more commands therewith, e.g., for performing a testoperation or for initiating a data retrieval operation using the webbrowser.

In one embodiment, the butt set according to the present inventionincludes a data modem within its housing to allow the web browser moduleto dial into a remote wireline network, e.g., the Internet, to retrievedata from the external source of information. In an alternativeembodiment, the housing of the butt set includes a wireless modem and anRF (radio frequency) communication unit (including an RF transceiverunit and an RF antenna unit) to facilitate data communication betweenthe butt set and the external source of information via a wirelessnetwork, e.g., a cellular telephone network.

The present invention imparts flexibility to the network technicianwhile in the field. Because the present invention allows for theexpeditious availability of needed test and circuit data, theperformance efficiency of the network technician is advantageouslyimproved. A further advantage of the present invention is that a webbrowser provides a generic or standardized information interface for thetest set because it dispenses with the need to have proprietary formatsfor information retrieval, storage and display. For a butt set, theline-specific (as well as manufacturer-specific) test information neednot be in a manufacturer-dictated proprietary format, but, instead, maybe in a generally available text format, e.g., the HTML format or theWML (Wireless Mark-up Language) format. This allows for creation of amore generic test set because of reliance on the data available in auniversal format, instead of a proprietary format. Testing-related datamay be supplied (as hardware or software plug-in modules) by a vendorother than the manufacturer of the test set. These and other advantagesand benefits of the present invention will become apparent from thedescription of embodiments below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further advantages of the present invention may be better understood byreferring to the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a hand-held butt set used in the prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a hand-held butt set according tothe present invention;

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary block diagram of the circuit modules containedin the butt set depicted in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 depicts an arrangement wherein the butt set of FIG. 2 is incommunication with a remotely-located information server or anothersimilar test set;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a hand-held buttset according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of the circuit modulescontained in the butt set depicted in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 depicts an arrangement wherein the butt set of FIG. 5 retrievesdata from a remotely-located information server using a wirelessnetwork.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a hand-held butt set 20 accordingto the present invention. The butt set 20 includes a housing 22 thatencloses the electronic circuitry and other components (as discussed inmore detail hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 3) required to operatethe butt set 20. A keypad or keyboard 24 and a display screen (or“display”) 26 are provided on one face of the housing 22 to enable anetwork technician to perform line-testing and data-retrieval andanalysis operations with the help of the keypad 24 and the display 26.The keypad 24 includes a number of keys that initiate various dataretrieval and testing operations in addition to the operations that canbe performed using the keys in the prior art butt set 10 shown inFIG. 1. As discussed hereinbelow, in addition to the telephoneline-testing circuitry, the butt set 20 according to the presentinvention includes a web browser module 28 (FIG. 3) built in the housing22. In addition to other benefits, as discussed hereinbelow withreference to FIG. 4, the web browser module 28 allows the networktechnician to access a network, such as the world wide web portion ofthe Internet, using the butt set 20 while in the field.

It is noted that the terms “telephone line” or “line” as used herein maybe construed to include references to a regular telephone line, e.g., aPSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network) or a POTS (Plain Old TelephoneSystem) telephone line, or to an ISDN (Integrated Services DigitalNetwork) line, or to any other comparable communications line.

The housing 22 may be manufactured using a material that can withstanddifferent weather conditions because the butt set 20 is typically usedin the field. Further, the material for the housing 22 may preferably belightweight as well as water-resistant and shock-absorbent so that thebutt set 20 may be comfortably used by the technician in differentweather conditions. The housing 22 may be manufactured using, forexample, ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene) plastic.

The keypad 24 may include keys that perform functions similar to thebuttons illustrated for the prior art butt set 10 in FIG. 1. Thus, forexample, the keypad 24 may include keys for digits ‘0’ through ‘9’, forsymbols ‘*’ and ‘#’, and for functions denoted by the buttons labeledLNR, DAT and SPK in FIG. 1. The keypad 24 also includes additional keysto perform such functions (described hereinbelow in more detail) asInternet access, telephone line testing, data retrieval from localmemory, data transmission, etc. The keys on the keyboard 24 may be, forexample, push-button keys, membrane keys or touch-pad keys. In oneembodiment, the keypad 24 may include an electronic pointing device,e.g., a track ball or a touch-pad mouse (not shown), to allow thenetwork technician to quickly and efficiently access various functionsperformed by the butt set 20. In that embodiment, the display of testdata and other information on the display screen 26 may be in a formcompatible with the Microsoft Windows® operating system. Here, variousmenu options may be displayed in letter-form (e.g., ‘LINE TEST’, ‘WEBACCESS’, ‘TELEPHONE CALL’, etc.) with or without appropriate icons onthe screen 26 and the network technician may select the desired functionto be performed by the butt set 20 using the pointing device on thekeypad 24.

The display screen 26 may be, for example, an LCD (Liquid CrystalDisplay) screen, a passive matrix display or a TFT (Thin FilmTransistor) active matrix display. In one embodiment, the display screen26 may be touch-sensitive and many or all of the functions performedusing the keys on the keypad 24 may be performed by touching appropriatelocations on the screen 26. In that embodiment, the keyboard 24 may havea reduced number of keys thereon or, if desired, the keyboard 24 may beeliminated altogether from the housing 22.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary block diagram of the circuit modules containedin the butt set 20 depicted in FIG. 2. Besides the web browser module28, the housing 22 may contain a telephone line monitoring andtroubleshooting module (TLMTM) 30, a line interface unit (LIU) 32, aringer detector 34, an audio logic unit 36, a display logic unit 38, akeypad interface logic unit 40, a memory or storage unit 42 and a DTMF(Dual Tone Multi Frequency) dialer 44. These circuit elements are showncoupled to a processing and control unit (PCU) 46 that manages andcontrols various operations performed by these circuit elements. Theringer detector 34 may be coupled to a ringer circuit 48, which convertsan electrical telephone ringing signal detected by the ringer detector34 into an audio telephone ringing signal. The LIU 32 may include amodem 50 so as to enable the web browser module 28 to transmit andreceive digital information over a telephone line and to thereby accessthe Internet or other similarly-equipped test set as discussedhereinbelow with reference to FIG. 4. A pair of clips 52, e.g.,alligator clips or bed-of-nails clips, may be connected on one end tothe LIU 32 and may extend from the housing 22 so that the technician mayattach the pair of clips 52 to a telephone line while performingtelephone line-testing with the butt set 20.

The web browser module 28 may include software code or routines which,when executed by the PCU 46, perform web browser functions uponexecution. In one embodiment, the web browser module 28 may beimplemented using a combination of software and hardware elements. Theweb browser software may include, for example, an HTML (Hyper TextMark-up Language) browser or a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)browser because of the small size and portable nature of the butt set 20as well as because of the smaller display 26 and limited memory space(in the memory unit 42) available for the butt set 20. A commerciallyavailable HTML browser, for example, the Netscape Navigator™ or theMicrosoft Internet Explorer™ may be selected for the web browser module28. In case of a WAP browser, a commercially available WAP-compliantmicrobrowser (or wireless web browser) used, for example, in Nokia™ 7100series cell phone or in the Palm Pilot™ hand-held computer versions 5.0or 6.0 may be selected. The HTML browser may “read” information receivedor stored in the HTML format, whereas the WAP browser may be able to“read” information having WAP content (e.g., information in the WML(Wireless Mark-up Language) format). The HTML browser or the WAP browsermay be configured to perform data retrieval operations using wireline orwireless devices. For example, FIGS. 4 and 7 illustrate arrangementswherein a WAP browser retrieves data from a remotely-located informationsource using wireline and wireless networks respectively.

The web browser 28 may be activated using one or more keys on the keypad24 and may be used to access information from a remote source. The webbrowser 28 may also retrieve locally stored information from the memoryunit 42 whenever necessary. The web browser module 28 interacts with thePCU 46 to execute necessary software routines for web browsing. Thesoftware routines, upon execution, activate the modem 50 in the LIU 32to electrically connect to the telephone line (not shown) to which thebutt set 20 is attached via the pair of clips 52 and to accomplishdialed Internet access. In one embodiment, the web browser module 28(including its hardware and/or software elements) may be a part of thePCU 46 and the PCU 46 may directly perform the web browsing or remotedata retrieval functions.

Inclusion of the web browser 28 within the butt set 20 results in astandardized information interface for the butt set 20 because itdispenses with the need to have proprietary formats for informationretrieval, storage and display. Line-specific (as well asmanufacturer-specific) test information need not be in amanufacturer-dictated proprietary format, but, instead, may be in agenerally available text format, e.g., the HTML format or the WMLformat. This allows for creation of a more generic test set (e.g., thebutt set 20) because of reliance on the data available in a universalformat, instead of a proprietary format. Testing-related data may besupplied (as hardware or software plug-in modules) by a vendor otherthan the manufacturer of the test set 20.

The TLMTM 30 performs routine telephone line maintenance tests as wellas any requisite troubleshooting and fault monitoring. A networktechnician may need to test the condition of a telephone line in manysituations, such as during routine maintenance of the network telephonelines, during installation of a new telephone line, during setting up ofa new telephone subscriber account, or in response to a complaint by anexisting telephone subscriber. Such line-testing is important tomaintain trouble-free telephone communications. The TLMTM 30 may driveappropriate test signals and receive the telephone line's responses viathe pair of clips 52 and the LIU 32, thereby testing the telephone linefor conveyance of ringing signals and dial tone, for the noise levelpresent on the line in normal operating conditions, etc.

The TLMTM 30 may dial one or more telephone numbers (via the LIU 32)over the telephone line being tested to verify whether dialed digits arecarried by the telephone line to the local switching office, i.e.,whether the telephone line is capable of allowing placement of atelephone call. In one embodiment, the TLMTM 30 includes the ringerdetector 34, the ringer circuit 48 and the DTMF dialer 44 so as tobetter facilitate ringing signal detection and telephone number dialingperformed by TLMTM 30. The TLMTM 30 may transmit test results to the PCU46, which may then analyze the test results and visually displayappropriate messages for the network technician on the display screen 26or audibly alert the technician (e.g., using an audio tone of specificfrequency), for example, when test results are not favorable.

The line interface unit 32 provides an electrical interface for signalstravelling between various circuit elements inside the housing 22 andtelephone lines connected to a local switching office (not shown) or acentral switching office (not shown). Different signals, such as aringing signal or a dial tone received over a telephone line beingtested, digits dialed by the DTMF dialer 44, data communication signalstransmitted and/or received by the web browser module 28, telephone linetesting signals sent by the TLMTM 30 and the telephone line's responsesreceived over the pair of clips 52, etc., may pass through the LIU 32prior to reaching their appropriate destinations. The LIU 32 may providesignal amplification, for example, in a noisy signal environment. TheLIU 32 may also include circuitry for the modem 50 to facilitate datacommunication for the web browser module 28 over a telephone line.

The LIU 32 may, in another embodiment, include a two-wire-to-four-wirehybrid ( 2/4 wire hybrid) (not shown) that splits the telephone signalsin a two-wire system within the butt set 20 into a four-wire systemsupported by the local telephone switching office to allow, for example,reduction in signal propagation losses, especially over a long-distancetelephone communication. The 2/4 wire hybrid may be directly connectedto the pair of clips 52 and, hence, to the telephone line being tested.

The ringer detector 34 receives the ringing signal from the PCU 46,which, in turn, receives the ringing signal from the LIU 32 and via thepair of clips 52 attached to the telephone line being tested. Theringing signal may be sent over the telephone line by the localswitching office that is directly connected to the telephone line. TheLIU 32 forwards the ringing signal to the PCU 46 that detects thereceived signal as a ringing signal and sends it to the ringer detector34. Upon detecting the ringing signal, the ringer detector 34 activatesthe ringer circuit 48 that audibly generates ringing sound at a speaker35 (included within the housing 22) alerting the network technicianabout the reception of the ringing signal. In one embodiment, both theringer circuit 48 and the audio logic unit 36 share the same speakerunit, e.g., the speaker unit 37, built inside the housing 22 to generateaudible sound from the electrical signals fed to the speaker unit. Insuch an embodiment, the additional speaker unit 35 may not be providedin the housing 22.

The housing 22 may include a hands-free speaker 37 that may be activatedwith an appropriate key (e.g., a key that functions similarly as the SPKbutton in FIG. 1) on the keypad 24 so that the technician may listen tovarious tones, noise and other signals over the telephone line in ahands-free manner. The audio logic unit 36 receives audio signals fromthe PCU 46 and sends them to the speaker 37 for generating audiblesound. For example, a dial tone received by the LIU 32 (from thetelephone line under test) is first sent to the PCU 46, which thenforwards the dial tone to the audio logic unit 36. The audio logic unit36 then feeds the speaker 37 with the dial tone signal, thereby allowingthe technician to listen to the received dial tone and to identify anyproblems with it.

The display logic unit 38 monitors and manages display functionality forthe butt set 20. The PCU 46 may generate proper commands and signals forthe display logic unit 38, which, in turn, may control the display ofvisual information on the display screen 26. The display screen 26 maydisplay all of the foregoing functions, and other additional informationas discussed later hereinbelow, when the appropriate action is takingplace. For example, the ringer detector 34 may inform the PCU 46 of thedetection of the received ringing signal. The PCU 46 may then send anappropriate message to the display logic unit 38 to display the word“RINGING” on the screen 26. In another example, when thetechnician-dialed digits are collected by the PCU 46 (from the keypadinterface logic 40) and once the DTMF dialer 44 starts dialing theentered digits via the LIU 32, the PCU 46 may instruct the display logicunit 38 to display the phrase “DIALING IN PROGRESS” on the visualdisplay screen 26. Similarly, a message such as “ACCESSING THE INTERNET”may also be sent to the display logic unit 38 (to be displayed on thedisplay screen 26) by the PCU 46 once the PCU 46 receives an indicationfrom the web browser module 28 that Internet access is in progress.Other messages may also be conveniently displayed on the screen 26. Forexample, as soon as the technician presses a key on the keypad 24, thecorresponding digit, symbol or command may be displayed on the displayscreen 26 by the display logic 38.

The keypad interface logic 40 is coupled to the keyboard 24 and receivessignals sent from the keyboard 24 when the technician presses one ormore keys thereon. The keypad interface 40 transmits the signalsreceived from the keyboard 24 to the PCU 46 for further processing. ThePCU 46 decodes the received signals and accordingly instructsappropriate circuit elements (including the web browser module 28) fornecessary action. For example, as noted hereinbefore, the keypad 24 mayhave a key that functions similarly to the SPK button on the butt set 10in FIG. 1. When a technician presses that key on the keypad 24, thekeypad interface logic 40 transmits an appropriate signal or codedcommand to the PCU 46, which identifies the received signal as anindication to activate the hands-free speaker unit 37. The PCU 46 maythen instruct the audio logic unit 36 to activate the speaker unit 37 asdiscussed hereinbefore.

The memory or storage unit 42 provides memory for storage of data, suchas data retrieved by the web browser module 28. The data stored locallyin the memory unit 42 may be in the HTML or the WML format depending onthe compatibility with the browser software present in the web browsermodule 28. The data may include certain manufacturer-specific ortelephone line-specific data, for example, information about mechanicaland electrical characteristics for one or more telephone lines beingtested. Such information may be manufacturer-specific and may be in theform of plug-in hardware memory modules (not shown) that may be insertedinside the housing 22 as part of the memory unit 42 or may be externallyattached as appendages to the housing 22 using appropriate adapter slots(not shown) provided on the housing 22. Alternatively, themanufacturer-specific information may be initially retrieved as software“plug-ins” from the corresponding manufacturer's website and may then bestored in the memory unit 42.

The memory unit 42 may include volatile and/or non-volatile memory, suchas a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and EEPROM(Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), flash memory, orother similar memory units. A volatile memory may lose the data storedtherein if the power applied thereto is removed. During data retrieval,e.g., from the Internet, the technician operating the butt set 20 maywish to place certain data in a temporary storage space until thetechnician reviews the received data and determines which portion, ifany, of that data is to be stored in the non-volatile memory within thebutt set 20. A volatile memory may provide that temporary storage insuch an event. Furthermore, during telephone line monitoring andtroubleshooting operations, the PCU 46 may need to perform certainmathematical operations and analysis on the test results sent by theTLMTM 30. During such operations, the PCU 46 may also store intermediatecalculation results in the volatile memory.

The DTMF dialer 44 communicates with the PCU 46 and receives the keypad24 entries sent to the PCU 46 via the keypad interface logic 40. TheDTMF dialer 44, in turn generates corresponding DTMF signals to be sentto the local telephone switching office via the LIU 32 and over thetelephone line to which the pair of clips 52 is attached. When the localswitching office supports DTMF dialing, the technician may thus test atelephone line for tone dialing capability using the butt set 20.

The PCU 46 manages and controls various operations performed bydifferent circuit elements connected thereto. The PCU 46 functions as acentralized location to send and receive various commands andinformation. For example, the PCU 46 may receive an indication from thekeypad interface logic 40 that the network technician wishes to test atelephone line. The PCU 46 may then send a command to the TLM™ 30instructing the TLM™ 30 to initiate the required testing operation andmay simultaneously activate the LIU 32 so that the TLM™ 30 may transmitand receive requisite test information over the telephone line undertest. The PCU 46 may receive test results from the TLM™ 30 and mayfurther analyze or process the results prior to sending them to thedisplay logic unit 38 for visual display on the screen 26. The PCU 46may also execute audio and video data files received from the Internetusing the web browser module 28 and send appropriate audio and videosignals to the audio logic unit 36 and the display logic unit 38respectively. Some exemplary PCUs include the Intel x86 seriesmicroprocessors or the Motorola 68x series microprocessors.

The modem 50 modulates and demodulates the information transmitted andreceived respectively over the telephone line. The modem 50 may employone or more of a number of modulation schemes including, for example,FSK (frequency shift keying), DPSK (differential phase shift keying),QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) and TCM (trellis-codedmodulation). The modem 50 may function in a full duplex communicationmode allowing simultaneous transmission and reception of electricalsignals. The modem 50 may perform error correction for transmitted andreceived data. The data communication speed of the modem 50 may be, forexample, 56 kbps (kilo bits per second) with automatic fall-backcapability in the event of noisy line conditions or due to a mismatchbetween the data communication speeds of the modem 50 and the devicewith which the modem 50 is communicating. Any Hayes® compatible modemmay be used for the modem 50.

It is noted that all the electronic circuit elements that are housedwithin the butt-set housing 22 may be supplied electrical power from thelocal telephone company switching facility via the telephone line (notshown) to which the butt set 20 is attached. If the power from the localswitching facility is not sufficient, then an additional power sourcesuch as a battery (not shown) may be placed within the housing 22 tosupply the requisite power to various circuit elements.

FIG. 4 depicts an arrangement wherein the butt set 20 of FIG. 2 is incommunication with a remotely-located information server 54 or anothersimilar test set 56. The butt set housing 22 is illustrated as a dottedbox, which is shown to contain the web browser module 28 and the LIU 32.The housing 22 shown in FIG. 4 is the same as that depicted in FIG. 3,except that certain circuit elements are not illustrated for the sake ofsimplicity. The housing 22 is shown connected to a PSTN (or POTS)telephone line or an ISDN line 58 using the pair of clips 52. Thetelephone line 58 may be the same line that is being tested by thenetwork technician or may be a different line.

The telephone line or the ISDN line 58 is shown connected to thecorresponding communication network—the PSTN (or the POTS) or the ISDNrespectively—which is represented as a cloud 60 labeled as PSTN/ISDN. Itis noted that the discussion given hereinbelow with references to PSTN60 applies equally to a configuration wherein the butt set 20 isconnected to the ISDN line 58 and the network is an ISDN network 60. Thelocal telephone switching facility may be the only entity constitutingthe PSTN/ISDN cloud 60 connecting the telephone line 58 to an ISP(Internet Service Provider) server 62. Alternatively, a signaltravelling over the telephone line 58 may have to go through a number ofswitching offices or terminal facilities within the PSTN/ISDN cloud 60before it reaches the ISP server 62.

As noted hereinabove, the web browser module 28 (via the PCU 46) mayaccess a remote source of data, e.g., a content or information server54. The web browser software, upon execution, accesses the telephoneline 58 using the modem 50 in the LIU 32 and dials into the ISP server62. The ISP server 62 provides a direct connection to the Internet 64and, hence, the web browser module 28 gets access to theremotely-located content server 54, which may also be connected to theInternet 64.

The information or content server 54 may store manufacturer-specific ortelephone line-specific data as well as other line testing-relatedinformation in a world-wide-web information text file format, e.g., theHTML format. Alternatively, the information server 54 may store relevantinformation in the WML format as discussed hereinbelow. In oneembodiment, the ISP server 62 may itself include the data requested fromthe content server 54. In that embodiment, the ISP server 62 need notaccess the remote content server 54 via the Internet 64. Instead, theISP server 62 may itself transmit the requested data to the web browsermodule 28 without further accessing the Internet 64.

The remote content server 54 may protect the test data,manufacturer-specific software “plug-in” modules or program routines, orany other information stored therein from unauthorized access. In thatcase, upon receiving a query from the ISP server 62 that informationaccess is desired, the content server 54 may transmit a response back tothe web browser module 28 (via the ISP server 62 and the PSTN/ISDN 60)requesting the network technician to enter the correct password for dataaccess. The network technician may enter the password using the keypad24 (FIG. 2). The PCU 46 may receive the entered password (from thekeypad interface logic 40) and forward it to the web browser module 28,which sends the password to the content server 54 via the ISP server 62and the Internet 64. The data transfer 20 between the web browser module28 and the content server 54 may then proceed as usual.

The remote test set 56 may be another butt set that has circuit elements(including the web browser module 28) similar to the butt set 20 of thepresent invention. Alternatively, the remote test set 56 may be anotherportable telecommunication test device with data communicationcapability. The remote test set 56 may be connected to the Internet 64via another wireline communication network (not shown), e.g., the PSTN,the ISDN or a wired LAN (local area network). The network technicianoperating the butt set 20 may first access (using the web browser module28 and via the Internet 64) a website operated by the telephone serviceprovider. The website may allow the technician to enter and transmit anelectronic message, e.g., an e-mail, addressed to the remote test set 56and requesting certain data stored in the local memory within the remotetest set 56. Upon receipt of the electronic message, the operator of theremote test set 56 may transmit the locally stored data, e.g., in ane-mail format, to the service provider's website. The web browser module28 in the butt set 20 can then retrieve the data from the serviceprovider's website via the Internet 64.

As noted hereinbefore, the web browser module 28 may include an HTMLbrowser or a WAP browser. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, theweb browser module 28 includes the WAP browser software represented as aWAP stack 66. The WAP architecture provides a scaleable and extensibleenvironment for application development for mobile communication devicessuch as, for example, the butt set 20. The WAP protocol is designed inthe form of a layered architecture wherein each of the layers isaccessible by the layers above, as well as by other services andapplications running on the WAP platform. The WAP stack has theapplication layer (not shown) at its top, which is successively followedby the session layer (not shown), the transaction layer (not shown), thesecurity layer (not shown) and the transport layer, which is referred toas a WDP (Wireless Datagram Protocol) and Adaptation layer 68 in FIG. 4(and interchangeably referred to hereinbelow as “the WDP layer” or “theadaptation layer” for the sake of clarity).

The WDP layer 68 is the lowest layer in the WAP stack that is in directcontact with a physical network carrying the WAP data. The WDP layer 68operates above the data-capable bearer services supported by variousphysical networks. A bearer service is a data transport mechanism thatcarries the WDP protocols between two devices. Some examples of bearerservices include, for example, SMS (Short Message Service), circuitswitched data and packetized data. Examples of some physical networksthat carry the bearer data include a GSM (Global System for MobileCommunications) or another TDMA-based (Time Division Multiple Access)wireless network, a wireline network (e.g., the PSTN or the ISDN 60, orthe Internet 64), etc. The WDP protocol can be mapped onto differentbearers, with different characteristics. The adaptation layer 68 is thelayer of the WDP protocol that maps the WDP protocol functions directlyonto a specific bearer. Thus, operationally, the WDP layer 68 providesconvergence between a given bearer service and the rest of the WAP stack66. The content of the adaptation layer 68 may be different for eachbearer depending on, for example, specific capabilities andcharacteristics of that bearer service.

In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the bearer data may include packetized dataover a combination of wireline networks, i.e., the PSTN 60 and theInternet 64. The adaptation layer 68 in the WAP stack 66 may beconfigured to map WDP protocol functions onto the packetized datasupported by these wireline networks to facilitate communication betweenthe web browser module 28 and a remote source of data (i.e., the contentserver 54 or the remote test set 56). It is further noted that eachbearer service for which WDP is specified supports a datagram service.The packetized data bearer service in FIG. 4 may support IP (InternetProtocol) based data routing. For bearer services supporting IP, the WDPprotocol may be UDP (User Datagram Protocol) that provides port-basedaddressing (e.g., source port, destination port, etc.) which may becombined with the segmentation and reassembly features of IP-basedrouting to implement a connectionless datagram service between twodevices.

A WAP proxy/server 70 may be provided as part of the data transferarrangement to translate WAP requests transmitted by the web browsermodule 28 into WWW (World Wide Web) or Internet requests supported bythe content server 54. The data packets (including information requestssent to the content server 54) generated or received by the web browsermodule 28 (using the WDP layer 68) may be in a WAP-supported format,e.g., the WML format. The ISP server 62 receives the WAP requests sentby the web browser module 28 in the form of WDP datagrams adapted to betransmitted over the underlying physical carrier networks, here, thePSTN/ISDN 60 and the Internet 64. These WAP requests are forwarded bythe ISP server 62 to the WAP proxy/server 70, which, in turn, sendsappropriate WWW requests, e.g., in the HTML format, to the contentserver 54.

The content server 54 may provide the requested data or information in aspecific format, e.g., in the HTML format, in the WML format, etc.,depending on its design and implementation in a given network. If thecontent server 54 provides information in WAP content (e.g., in the WMLformat), then the WAP proxy/server 70 may retrieve the informationdirectly from the information server 54 via the Internet 64 and forwardthe retrieved information to the web browser module 28 via the ISPserver 62 and the PSTN/ISDN network 60. However, if the content server54 provides information in WWW content (e.g., in the HTML format), thena filter may be used to translate the WWW content into WAP content. Forexample, an HTML filter 72 may translate information or data received inthe HTML format into that in the WML format as illustrated by dottedlines in FIG. 4. The WAP proxy/server 70 may receive this translateddata from the HTML filter 72 and deliver it to the web browser module 28via the Internet 64, the ISP server 62 and the PSTN/ISDN network 60.

In one embodiment, the WAP proxy/server 70 may itself contain the dataand information requested by the web browser module 28. In thatembodiment, instead of the content server 54, the WAP proxy/server 70may itself provide the requisite data and information to the web browsermodule 28. Thus, the WAP proxy/server 70 may not access another contentserver, e.g., the information server 54, and may, instead, directlysupply the requested information in a WAP-supported format, e.g., theWML format, to the web browser module 28 via the Internet 64, the ISPserver 62 and the PSTN/ISDN network 60. In this configuration, the WAPproxy/server 70 may function as an origin or gateway server (instead ofa proxy) that responds to requests from the WAP client, i.e., the webbrowser module 28, directly.

Instead of the WAP browser discussed with reference to FIG. 4, the webbrowser module 28 may include an HTML browser (not shown). In a datatransfer arrangement with the HTML browser, the WAP proxy/server 70 andthe HTML filter 72 may not be necessary. Further, the content server 54may be configured to transfer data in the HTML format so as to becompatible with the data format supported by the HTML browser in the webbrowser module 28. All other components in the data transfer arrangementmay remain the same as that illustrated in FIG. 4. Thus, in view of theforegoing discussion of remote data transfer with a WAP browser (FIG.4), additional discussion of data transfer using an HTML browser isomitted to prevent repetition.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a hand-held buttset 74 according to the present invention. The butt set 74 employswireless devices to transfer data and information between the butt set74 and a remote source of data. An antenna, e.g., the RF (radiofrequency) antenna 76, is provided on the housing 78 of the butt set 74to allow wireless data communication. Except for the inclusion ofcircuit elements for wireless communication, the housing 78 containsessentially the same components as those illustrated in FIG. 3 for thehousing 22 of the butt set 20 (FIG. 2). Further, the keypad 24 and thedisplay screen 26 for the butt set 74 may be similar to thoseillustrated with respect to the butt set 20 in FIG. 2. Therefore,elements in FIGS. 5 and 6 that have similar functionality as thoseillustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 respectively are represented with the samenumerals and discussion of these common elements is omitted hereinbelowfor the sake of clarity.

FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of the circuit elementscontained in the butt set 74 depicted in FIG. 5. The housing 78 is shownto contain essentially the same components as those depicted for thehousing 22 in FIG. 3. However, there are three differences between thetwo housings. First, unlike the LIU 32 in the housing 22 in FIG. 3, theline interface unit 80 in the housing 78 does not include a wirelinedata modem (such as the modem 50 in FIG. 3). Instead, the housing 78includes a wireless modem 84 to facilitate data transfer using awireless network as discussed hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 7. Ifthe wireless network is a cellular network (e.g., a TDMA-based wirelessnetwork, a CDMA-based (Code Division Multiple Access), wireless network,or a GSM-based (Global System for Mobile Communications) wirelessnetwork), then the wireless modem 84 may be capable of data transferusing the message format supported by the given cellular network. TheRicochet SE wireless modem manufactured by Metricom, Inc. of Los Gatos,Calif., USA or a wireless modem manufactured by US Robotics may beselected for the wireless modem 84.

Second, the web browser module 82 in the housing 78 is configured totransfer data over a wireless network and, hence, the web browser module82 need not be connected to the LIU 80 because the LIU 80 may beoperative over a wireline network (e.g., the PSTN) in a way similar tothat discussed hereinbefore with respect to the LIU 32 in FIG. 3. Third,unlike the housing 22 in FIG. 3, the housing 78 includes circuitelements that facilitate wireless data communication. These elementsinclude a transceiver unit, here, the RF transceiver unit 86 and the RFantenna unit 76. The RF transceiver unit 86 sends RF signals to the RFantenna 76 for transmission to the wireless network and receives RFsignals from the RF antenna 76 and forwards them to the wireless modem84 for further processing. The RF antenna 76 provides the necessarysignaling interface between a wireless network and the web browsermodule 82 that needs to access the wireless network.

FIG. 7 depicts an arrangement wherein the butt set 74 of FIG. 5retrieves data from the remotely-located information server 54 using awireless network 90. The wireless network 90 may be, for example, ananalog wireless network (e.g., the AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System)network), a digital wireless network including cellular networks (e.g.,the TDMA or CDMA-based wireless networks), a wireless LAN (Local AreaNetwork) or a WLL (Wireless Local Loop) configuration. A portion of thewireless network 90 may include one or more microwave links forsatellite-based communication. The WAP proxy/server 70 of FIG. 4 isillustrated as located in the wireless network 90. Other components,e.g. the Internet 64, the content server 54 and the HTML filter 72 areillustrated having the same numerical designations as those shown inFIG. 4. These components perform in the same manner as discussedhereinbefore with reference to FIG. 4 and, hence, further discussion ofdata retrieval by the WAP proxy/server 70 from the content server 54 isomitted to prevent repetition.

The remote test set 56 may be configured to communicate with the webbrowser module 82 via the wireless network, with or without the help ofthe WAP proxy/server 70. The remote test set 56 in FIGS. 4 and 7 mayoperate over wireline as well as wireless networks. Similarly, thewireless modem 84, the RF transceiver unit 86 and the RF antenna unit 76for the butt set 74 may be combined with other circuit elements shown inFIG. 3 to allow the butt set 20 (FIG. 2) to operate over wireline aswell as wireless networks. In that case, the technician may select anappropriate communication option using the keypad 24. Here, the webbrowser module 28 (FIG. 3) may be modified to responsively connect to awireline data modem (e.g., the modem 50) or a wireless modem 84 (FIG. 6)depending on the desired mode of data communication.

The web browser module 82 in the housing 78 may include a WAP browserwith a WAP stack 87 having a layered architecture similar to thatdescribed hereinbefore with reference to the WAP stack 66 in FIG. 4. Inthe embodiment of FIG. 6, however, the WDP and adaptation layer 88 inthe WAP stack 87 is modified to map WDP protocol functions onto thepacketized data (i.e., the bearer service) supported by the wirelessnetwork 90 to facilitate communication between the web browser module 78and the remote source of data (i.e., the content server 54 or the remotetest set 56). The WDP layer 88 may thus adapt the datagrams transmittedand received thereby to conform to the data transmission protocolspecified by the physical data carrier network, i.e., the wirelessnetwork 90. As noted hereinbefore, the WAP browser in the web browsermodule 82 may communicate with the remotely-located source of data(e.g., the content server 54) using a WAP-supported data format, e.g.,the WML format.

The wireless modem 84 may receive the WAP content from the WDP layer 88and perform necessary data encoding thereon to prepare the WAP contentto be sent over the wireless network 90. A corresponding decoding may beperformed by the wireless modem 84 upon receipt of the data from the RFtransceiver unit 86 prior to sending the decoded WAP content to the WDPlayer 88 and other layers above it for further processing. The RFtransceiver unit 86 modulates data or requests received from thewireless modem 84 to be transmitted over an RF transmission channellinking the housing 78 with the wireless network 90. The modulated dataare then wirelessly transmitted to the network 90 by the RF antenna unit76. Upon reception of any data or information from the wireless network90 (i.e., the data sent by the remote test set 56 or the content server54), the RF antenna unit 76 forwards the RF-modulated data to the RFtransceiver unit 86, which demodulates the data and sends them to thewireless modem 84 for further processing and transfer to the web browsermodule 82.

It is noted that the embodiments discussed hereinbefore with referenceto FIGS. 4 and 7 depict respective web browser modules 28 and 82 asbeing equipped with software routines implementing a WAP browser.However, the foregoing discussion with reference to the WAPbrowser-based butt sets 20 and 74 may also be applied to butt setshaving web browser modules with HTML browsers, instead of WAP browsers.A web browser module with an HTML browser may be similarly configured toperform data retrieval and transmission operations using wireline aswell as wireless devices. A butt set may also include a web browsermodule with browser software that supports a content format that isdifferent from HTML or WML such as, for example, the JavaScriptscripting language. A butt set may be conveniently designed to includesuch a web browser module for data communication.

The foregoing describes exemplary embodiments of a butt set with a webbrowser incorporated therein. The embodiments discussed hereinabove areequipped with web browser modules to allow network technicians to accessthe Internet as well as other remotely-located sources of information toretrieve data and other useful technical information while in the fieldfor telephone line maintenance, troubleshooting or repair. It is noted,however, that a suitable web browser may be similarly incorporated inother portable or hand-held telecommunication test equipment. Forexample, an HTML browser may be incorporated into an MGTS (MessageGenerator Traffic Simulator) diagnostic system manufactured by Tekelec,26580 W. Agoura Road, Calabasas, Calif., USA 91302. An MGTS functions asa diagnostic tool during network implementation of signaling products(e.g., SSPs (Service Switching Points), MSCs (Mobile Switching Centers),BTSs (Base Transceiver Stations), etc.) for installation andverification testing and for operational acceptance testing.

Similarly, an HTML browser or a WAP browser may be incorporated in aprotocol analyzer or a signaling test set such as, for example, theHewlett Packard HP37900 protocol analyzer used to test SS7 (SignalingSystem Number 7) circuits. A web browser-equipped protocol analyzer mayallow use of generic or standard plug-ins for new protocols instead ofproprietary plug-ins. A communications analyzer that tests functionalityof a number of communication networks, e.g., the ATM-based (AsynchronousTransfer Mode) network, the SONET (Synchronous Optical Network), one ormore levels of DS (Digital Service) circuits, etc., may also be modifiedto include a built-in HTML or WAP browser. For example, the T-BERD®analyzer manufactured by TTC, 20400 Observation Drive, Germantown, Md.,USA 20876, may be configured to incorporate a standard HTML or WAPbrowser to transmit and receive various information over a test lineduring network testing.

While several embodiments of the invention have been described, itshould be apparent that various modifications, alterations andadaptations to those embodiments may occur to persons skilled in the artwith the attainment of some or all of the advantages of the presentinvention. It is therefore intended to cover all such modifications,alterations and adaptations without departing from the scope and spiritof the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A communications test device, comprising: a processor located in ahand-held housing; a protocol analyzer located in the hand-held housing,wherein the protocol analyzer performs test operations on acommunications network; a web browser module stored in memory of thehand-held housing, wherein the web browser module initiates datacommunications between the web browser module and a source ofinformation located external to the communications test device, whereinthe web browser module further converts information received from thesource of information located external to the portable communicationstest device to a format understandable by a user of the communicationstest device, and wherein the web browser module comprises a wireless webbrowser operative to use at least one of Short Message Service bearerservice, a circuit switched data bearer service, or a packetized databearer service; and the hand-held housing for enclosing the processor,the protocol analyzer, and the web browser module.
 2. The communicationstest device of claim 1, wherein the web browser module comprises acommunications stack designed for wireless communications.
 3. Thecommunications test device of claim 1, wherein the web browser modulefurther receives audio data files and video data files from the externalsource.
 4. The communications test device of claim 1, wherein thecommunications test device operates over a wireline communicationsnetwork and a wireless communications network.
 5. The communicationstest device of claim 1, wherein the memory stores line-specific data andcircuit information accessible by the web browser module.
 6. Thecommunications test device of claim 5, wherein the line-specific dataand the circuit information are in a plug-in hardware memory moduleform.
 7. The communications test device of claim 1, wherein theinformation received from the source of information located external tothe portable communications test device is in at least one of a HyperText Mark-Up Language format, a Wireless Mark-up Language format, or aJavaScript scripting language format.
 8. The communications test deviceof claim 1, further comprising a wireline modem and a wireless modem incommunication with the web browser module.
 9. The communications testdevice of claim 8, wherein the wireline modem and the wireless modemutilize a frequency shift keying modulation scheme, a differential phaseshift keying modulation scheme, a quadrature amplitude modulationscheme, and a trellis-coded modulation scheme to modulate and demodulateinformation transmitted to and received from the source of informationlocated external to the communications test device.
 10. Thecommunications test device of claim 8, wherein the wireline modem andthe wireless modem function in a full duplex communication mode allowingthe communications test device to transmit and receive datasimultaneously.
 11. The communications test device of claim 1, furthercomprising a line interface unit for splitting a signal in a two-wiresystem into a four-wire system.
 12. The communications test device ofclaim 1, further comprising a hands-free speaker.
 13. The communicationstest device of claim 1, further comprising an adapter slot, wherein theadapter slot receives a plug-in hardware memory module comprisingline-specific data and circuit information.
 14. The communications testdevice of claim 1, wherein the processor initiates a testing operationon the communications network and simultaneously initiates transmittalof first information to and receipt of second information from thesource of information located external to the communications testdevice.
 15. The communications test device of claim 1, wherein thesource of information located external to the communications test deviceis a remote communications test device and wherein the communicationstest device: transmits an electronic message addressed to the remotecommunications test device; and receives an electronic message from theremote communications test device addressed to the communications testdevice.
 16. A communications test device, comprising: a processorlocated in a hand-held housing; a testing module located in thehand-held housing, wherein the testing module receives a firstindication from the processor and initiates responsively a testoperation for a communications entity; a web browser module stored inmemory of the hand-held housing, wherein the web browser module receivesa second indication from the processor and initiates data communicationsbetween the web browser module and a source of information locatedexternal to the communications test device, wherein the web browsermodule further converts information received from the source ofinformation located external to the portable communications test deviceto a format understandable by a user of the communications test device,and wherein the web browser module comprises a wireless web browseroperative to use at least one of Short Message Service bearer service, acircuit switched data bearer service, or a packetized data bearerservice; and the hand-held housing for enclosing the processor, thetesting module, and the web browser module.
 17. The communications testdevice of claim 16, wherein the processor provides an alert indicating apotential for use of the communications test device to disrupt datatransmissions associated with the communications network.
 18. Acommunications test device, comprising: a processor located in ahand-held housing; a protocol analyzer located in the hand-held housing,wherein the protocol analyzer performs test operations on acommunications network; a web browser module stored in memory of thehand-held housing, wherein the web browser module initiates datacommunications between the web browser module and a source ofinformation located external to the communications test device, whereinthe web browser module further converts information received from thesource of information located external to the portable communicationstest device to a format understandable by a user of the communicationstest device, and wherein the web browser module comprises a wireless webbrowser operative to use at least one of Short Message Service bearerservice, a circuit switched data bearer service, or a packetized databearer service; and the hand-held housing for enclosing the processor,the protocol analyzer, and the web browser module, wherein the processorprovides an alert indicating a potential for use of the communicationstest device to disrupt data transmissions associated with thecommunications network.